search widget

Doodles are becoming one of the rare manifestations of Google's funky side. With the company becoming more serious and losing its witty approach to things, Doodles still remind us, from time to time, that there is still a playful child hiding inside that grown-up adult. But many Android users don't notice the genius behind the daily Doodle because they just use the search widget on their homescreen. Google has found a workaround for that.

Google has begun rolling out the latest update to its signature search app to the beta channel. Version 7.22 appears to be a bit less ambitious than most recent updates, as existing features don't seem to be changing and most of the upcoming features aren't getting any major changes. Actually, most of the teardown is about follow-ups to things we've already known about. Nevertheless, there are new topics to discuss, so let's get right into it.

Chrome 59 was just released, which means Chrome 60 has graduated to beta status. This version includes a few interface changes, like a new context menu and file picker, as well as a new search widget. The Vibration API also has some new limitations to combat malware ads. Let's take a look.

Google apparently thinks you don't have enough ways to search Google on your phone. On my Pixel, I have the Google search 'pill' on the home screen, and Google Assistant if I hold down on the home button or use 'OK Google.' If you have Chrome Dev, you can use a new search widget as well.

Google is no stranger to testing changes server-side before releasing them for public consumption; in fact, we reported on them testing multiple Play Store UI tweaks at the same time just a few days ago. For several weeks, we've been getting tips about this new extension for the Google search widget, but it seems to be rolling out more widely now.